Ellie, Evan, and Charlotte (triple-smith)

2-14-12

2012-02-14T11:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day too!

Potty Update

2012-02-10T23:17:00.000-05:00

We have 3 "Big Kids Now!" Charlotte has finally joined the pee-pee party! On Jan. 30th she finally used the potty. She has just been resisting, so we haven't been pushing it. She has still had some accidents and no #2, but she is getting the hang of it. So proud! She likes to play Angry Birds or draw on the kindle while she tries.

Ellie has been a pro since the beginning. She had a little set back after we came back from Disney, but she is back to no accidents.

If you remember from the last potty update, Evan was having trouble using the potty for #2. Well when we got back from Disney it just clicked and no more accidents for this pirate.

They love their potty books and their crowns & pirate hat.

Springtime in the Winter

2012-02-06T22:37:00.001-05:00

Sunday was a beautiful day. After nap time we headed out for a little walk to pick some flowers.

Even Zona got to go for a walk & pose for a picture.

To infinity & beyond!

The birds are even enjoying the weather and my new bird feeder. They empty this thing in a day.

ABC's

2012-01-25T22:34:00.018-05:00

The kids have been saying their ABC's for awhile, but I finally got a good video of each one individually

Ellie singing ABC's from Jennifer Smith on Vimeo.

Evan singing ABC's from Jennifer Smith on Vimeo.

Charlotte singing ABC's from Jennifer Smith on Vimeo.

Movie Time & a visit

2012-01-21T11:38:00.006-05:00

We are not big movie theater people. We will usually just wait and see something after it comes out on DVD. The kids have been to 2 movies now. The week after Christmas we took them to their 1st movie - the new Muppet movie. It was a packed theater. They did really well for about an hour and then they wanted to get up. We went to the potty and came back. We ate a whole bucket of popcorn. That was about the only way to keep them in there for the whole movie. They have been still seeing the commercials for the movie and will ask to go see it again. We decided to give it another try and see Beauty & the Beast. We didn't go to the 3-D one because we knew they wouldn't keep their glasses on for the whole movie. We got our popcorn and was ready. Once again they made it about an hour and started getting fidgety. We decided to let them just run around the room.As you can see, we were the only ones in the theater. They enjoyed going all the way to the front and running back. They would stop and watch for a minute and then off again.

Evan had to get in my lap during the kissing scene. He hides his eyes anytime a "sweet" scene or a pretty girl comes on the screen.

We saw an preview that one of their favorite movies is coming to the theater later this year - Finding Nemo. Maybe by then they can make it through a whole movie. Just make sure we get plenty of popcorn.

Today we had some visitors. The ladies that work with Matthew stopped by on their way to the Mark of the Potter.

They showed them their toys and even had to play a quick ring around the rosie with Anna. Thanks for stopping by and come again soon!

What's for Dinner

2012-01-09T14:53:00.006-05:00

It's a good thing we don't go out to eat spaghetti!

That's okay because daddy makes some good spaghetti & meatballs.

Twas The Nights Before Christmas

2011-12-30T22:28:00.019-05:00

The days leading up to Christmas morning were just as eventful. I was off for several days and the first one was the Friday before Christmas. Jennifer had left some Eggo's waffles out of the freezer by mistake the night before so we decided to use them to make ornaments for the birds. We got out some cookie cutters and cut them into shapes, tied some strings on them and then hung them on some trees in the front yard.
Ellie shows off her decorating skills.

Evan was a little close to the roses - he thought he was under attack.
Little prissy - Charlotte was more concerned about the shoes we put on her than decorating for the birds. She finally got into the groove. The kids never got a chance to see the birds attacking the trees but Christmas morning I witnessed the attack. Black birds vs. Blue birds. I watched for several minutes.

Friday night was when my family would come over to do Christmas. We started the night off with a meal - finger foods!!! Here's a shot of the big kids table. See a new face? That's my brother Louis' fiance - Angela. Evan sat at this table for a short period and then he joined the girls.
The girls. The kids had been starring at a tree full of presents for a few days and they were more than ready to dive into opening some gifts. Uncle and Aunt Pop Pop (That's what the kids started calling my brother because he always has fire crackers to shoot off when we go to his house) thought they were going to bring us misery by giving the kids a bunch of musical instruments. It did not work. I usually lead the way with making a racket. Jennifer has to calm me down as I lead the band. Here's a shot of Naw and Paw with their grand kids.
Christmas Eve Morning

I guess we have started a tradition - stopping at Krispy Kreme on the way to Conyers to see Tompkins Family . We did not get out this time - wanted to avoid the creepy Santa they had last year. Jenn went in and said he was not there so we ate our donuts in the car.

Ellie really only licked the icing. She loves the sugar! Evan takes a bite out of his snowman donut.
Charlotte is all smiles as she starts to take down her little snowman. She loved it. The Tompkins gift giving did not disappoint. Charlotte shows off her new bag and one of her new princess dolls. Evan getting ready to rip into his new tool set. He loved it. It won't be long before he is helping me fix things around the house. Ellie shows off her bag, doll, and the Elmo hat Victoria gave her.
Taking a quick picture with Victoria. Now we are back home getting ready for Santa. The kids really enjoyed putting out the cookies and milk for Santa and the carrots for the reindeer. The night ends with us all snug in our Christmas pj's getting ready for Christmas morning.
BRING ON SANTA

Christmas Day 2011

2011-12-25T22:54:00.001-05:00

It takes 365 days to get here, but it finally has arrived - Christmas Morning. They slept later than usual which meant I was about to go crazy waiting on them. This year Santa had to keep up with the little ones requests. Ellie asked for a Belle doll and a Doll House. Charlotte asked for a Ariel Doll and a Doll House. Evan asked for a Choo Choo Train and a Tug Boat. As you can see by the smiles below, he delivered.

It did not take much time until they wanted to open more presents. Here's a shot of them digging into the wrapping paper.They got some new PJs so a quick wardrobe change before we open our stockings or socks as the kids have been calling them.They even helped Mom open her presents.Now it was time to go to church. Nothing better than going to God's house on the day our Savior was born. No nursery today so the adventure would be to keep them entertained throughout the service. Carlie their babysitter came over and sat with us to help us keep them in control. It was a busy day with no nap time. Ellie jumped in the bed with grandmother when we got to granddaddy and grandmother's. That did not last long they wanted to open more presents.
Family picture time
Later that night they took a picture with Zona. They all wanted squeaky toys just like him. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party

2011-12-23T00:23:00.005-05:00

Our last day at Disney was fun filled. We still can't believe the weather. Mid 80's all week. We wish we would have planned for more time so we could go swimming. Here's a shot of me and my crew as we head off to eat breakfast with Mickey Mouse and Friends.We had a little time while we waited on the boat so the girls wanted to capture a memory with Dad. I can't wait to add this picture to my office. Evan strikes a pose with mom as they wait.The boat took us to the Contemporary Resort (that's the hotel that the monorail runs through). We had reservations to eat breakfast with the characters. It was fun even though the kids did not eat much. They did load up on fruit. Evan had been asking for watermelon and he finally got some. Ellie was too rapped up in the characters. They would enter the room and make there way around. Guess which stop we were? Last! So, Ellie had to watch and wait as Donald, Goofy, Pluto, Minnie, and Mickey made their way around the room. Charlotte seemed comfortable in her chair but was still cautious. Evan was shy at first, but had a great time.
Evan showing Pluto his shirt. He was so proud.

Ellie loved the celebration time. Everyone would waive their napkins around their head like a helicopter. When they stopped she would ask to do it again. After breakfast we decided to go see some of the Christmas Decorations. Jennifer had researched what was at each hotel and she and Michelle had seen some earlier in the week. We were going to see the giant gingerbread tree at the Contemporary and the giant gingerbread house at the Grand Floridian Resort. The Grand Floridian was really nice. We were going to get a picture of just Michelle, but the kids wanted to join in.
What a great picture. Only took 100 attempts and Michelle and I screaming like idiots in the front of a nice hotel. So worth it. They tried on crazy hats in the gift shop. Ellie loved the Dumbo hat.Evan wore the Pluto to match his shirt. Getting Evan to wear a hat for more than two seconds is not easy, but he like this one.Princess for the Princess. We went back to the camper and begged the kids to take a nap, but they did not. So we load up and went to Magic Kingdom for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. We packed some sandwiches and headed to the park. After a quick bite we headed to see the Disney Princesses. Aurora was first. That is sleeping beauty or sleeping dootie - as Ellie says.
Belle And Cinderella. We were getting our picture made and then all of the sudden fireworks went off. Neat picture! It was finally time for the parade and it was just in time. The no nap was causing the kids to be a little fussy. They loved the parade. We had great seats right next to a family that had 18 month old triplets. They were from Brazil. It was neat to pass the time talking to others that face the challenges of three little ones. Only one difference. They travel with an entourage. They even had a full time nanny. Charlotte sat in the front in Michelle's lap, Evan sat in front with Jennifer, and Ellie had a high level seat on my shoulders. She was the announcer for our area because she could see who was coming first and she would scream it as load as she could. People were relying on her for the announcement of Mickey.
After the parade we made our way to ride some rides. It was great - no lines. We had a blast going from ride to ride with no wait. We had a great view of the fireworks over the castle. Ellie got to ride and say bye to her favorite ride - Dumbo. Evan got to ride and say bye to his favorite ride - Peter Pan's flight. Charlotte got to shake her bookie to It's a Small World one more time. There was hot chocolate, cookies & snow. It was a great night, but sorry kids we have to go home tomorrow. But guess what? We left the camper in Orlando. We will go back down in the spring and camp our way home.

Magic Kingdom

2011-12-21T10:38:00.017-05:00

Monday was Magic Kingdom day. We got up and headed to the bus stop.
Then got on the boat and made it to this magical place First things first - a picture in front of the castleWe've heard that Fantasyland gets pretty crowded, so we headed to our 1st ride of the day.

DUMBO!This has been the ride Ellie has talked about for months. We have a book about Disney World & the Dumbo ride was on the front, so she knew she had to ride it.
Evan was having fun up in the sky

Charlotte rode most of the rides with Michelle, so she was happy!

This was Charlotte's favorite ride - It's a Small World. She danced to the music the entire ride.
We rode all the rides in Fantasyland and Evan's favorite was Peter Pan because of the crocodile. They were not fans of the Snow White ride, but loved the 4-D movie at Mickey's PhilharMagic.

The carousel was also a favoriteEllie got to ride with Michelle Mommy & Charlotte

The famous tea cups

Don't let all the smiles fool you. The trip was definitely stressful. Michelle caught a great shot of Matthew telling me something, me giving him the evil eye and Ellie crying. That sums it up.The kids usually sleep until 9:00am at home and they were waking up around 7:30am in the camper. Needless to say they were cranky sometimes. Today happened to be one of those days. Sometimes Disney World is Not the Happiest Place on Earth. We went back to the camper for lunch and a nap. While they were napping Michelle and I decided to go see some Christmas decorations at other resorts. That quick trip took us about 3 hours thanks to all the transportation changes we made.
This gingerbread gazebo was at the Boardwalk Inn The Beach Club had this gingerbread carousel

We headed back to MK at the wrong time. It was during the night time parade so it was crowded. We tried to make our way out of the crowd, but got stuck watching another show because this stroller wasn't getting anywhere.

We finally got out of the crowd waiting for the fireworks and headed to see some fairies.
Evan & Tinkerbell The girls were in heaven
We rode the Jungle Cruise and the Magic carpets of Aladdin. They really enjoyed the Prates of the Caribbean. We then went to the Haunted mansion for the last ride of the night. The ride stopped 2 times while we were on it. The bad thing is the cars stop but the music and the characters still move. The last time it stopped we were in the cemetery. Ellie & Matthew got stopped right in front of a ghost jumping out from behind a grave. This lasted for about 2 minutes. Poor Ellie was behind Matthew's back. She still talks about that ghost.

We walked through Cinderella's Castle
The last picture of the night and our Christmas card this year

Animal Kingdom

2011-12-18T22:26:00.024-05:00

Day 2 in Orlando we headed to Animal Kingdom.
All smiles as we head into the park. First stop is the Safari ride. This will be a little different than the one at Pine Mountain. You don't get as close, but we did see all the animals.

Family photo with Pluto.
Evan wanted to hug Goofy and he got his chance. He was all dressed up in his Santa suit.This park did not have much to do for little ones, so we did get to see of the characters.

Eeyore is Michelle's Favorite.
Animal Kingdom had the coolest playground. It was a bone yard. The kids loved all the tunnels and slides. Evan was super excited to get to ride the dino ride. There was no lines so we rode it several times. See if you can find our little dinos YES! Charlotte is finally standing alone with a character. It took two days but she liked Chip & Dale. After this embrace she was ready to meet the rest of the cast.

We stayed at the park from 9am - 5pm. We rode a train, brushed a goat, ate at Rainforest Cafe (yum), saw the Lion King production, watched the parade, and fell asleep in the car on the way home.
We got back to the camper and relaxed for a little bit before going to the campfire sing along. We got to roast marshmallows and got to see Chip & Dale again.

Next day is Magic Kingdom!!!

Disney Trip

2011-12-13T15:11:00.011-05:00

About 2 weeks before our trip we started counting down the days until we went to "Mickey Mouse House". Friday Dec. 2 was finally the day! We picked up Michelle and finally made it there around 9:30pm. On Sat. we headed to Hollywood Studios for our 1st day. Our 1st of many family picturesWe were making our way to the Toy Story ride before it got too crowded, but got sidetracked byAndEllie was so excited and could barely stand it. Evan wasn't scared and ran to her too. Charlotte had been saying for weeks she wanted to hug Minnie. As you can tell she was a little shy when the time came. We got a fast pass for the Toy Story ride and noticed a line to see Buzz & Woody. The kids have really gotten into the Toy Story movies, so this was great. Ellie was always firstBuzz & Woody were bigger than Minnie so they were a little bit intimidated by them.
Charlotte was still a little unsureWhile waiting on the next Little Mermaid show they played at the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground. They loved it. Ariel is Charlotte's favorite. We sat on the front row and Charlotte waved at her the entire show. So sweet!
They even saw Baby Jesus and was so excited. We watched a few more shows and rode some rides and then headed back to the camper for lunch and a nap.
After a nice rest we went back and headed to the Beauty & the Beast show.
We used our fast passes and rode the Toy Story ride. It was there favorite ride of the day.
We headed over to see the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights. It's a display of millions of lights synchronized to holiday music.
And there was even snowIt was a very special day

We are back!!

2011-12-08T14:16:00.003-05:00

We've been at the Happiest Place on Earthand we survived!

It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas

2011-12-01T10:53:00.005-05:00

The kids have helped decorate the trees

Put the angel on the top Posed for picturesAte popcorn & watched Christmas movies And have started wearing our Christmas clothes

Happy December 1st

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-25T12:42:00.007-05:00

We are so thankful for these 3 little turkeys

On Thanksgiving we have lunch at our house. Here's Matthew with "The Bird"

Our annual watching of the parade
Matthew & Michelle decorating the cupcakes
Turkey & cornacopia cupcakes Let's eat
The kids table
Or is this the kids table?

Later that night Naw & Paw came.

And we went shopping - all night!

Safari

2011-11-15T14:11:00.015-05:00

While on our camping trip we made a stop at Pine Mountain Wild Animal Safari. Jennifer has had this place on her radar for quite some time. I am so glad she did because it was the best. It had two parts. One was just a walk through zoo type displays with tigers, ligers, wolves & other small caged animals. They loved the chance to get their pictures made in the animals.

The second part was an interactive bus ride. Just waiting on the Zebra bus was fun. The kids were so excited to ride a bus they forgot we were going to see animals.
You have to purchase bags of feed for the animals. Jennifer and Ellie are all ready to go. It was not a crowded day so we had plenty of room on the bus. This would come in very handy later on the ride.

The bus had open windows so you could get a great view of the animals.

Animals of all kinds would come all the way up to the window. They even knew to put their tongue to one side so they could catch the feed.
They were so excited they saw zebras, deer (several kinds), buffalo, cows, steers, lamas, ostriches, boars, camels, rhino, and lots more...

Look guys! One of Santa's reindeer!!! Up to this point the kids were loving the ride. They would toss food out as the bus moved along through the trail. They would bounce around and say "look at dat - mama-daddy". The fun was about to change. I failed to mention the giraffe. That was because we did not just see the giraffe we had a full blown giraffe encounter. As we approached, the kids were soooooo ready see him.
But they did not expect him to stick his head into the bus. He was grabbing food as Ellie and Evan threw it at him trying to get away.
I think Charlotte's reaction is pretty clear. Just enjoy the approach.
Mommy finally gives him some food
They got over it pretty quick - see a quick smile from Charlotte as she feeds the deer.
Having the extra space on the bus was very helpful. Look at the horns on these cows. Evan liked to touch them as I dropped food into their mouths.
Our bus driver was also a tour guide. These below are lamas. He told us that they will spit. Just what we need for the kids to see - spitting animals. We were warned that if we saw their ears pinned back they were about to spit. Look at the small one. Look out he's about to spit!!!

We still talk about the ride and they love it when I act like a giraffe coming into the window to lick them!!! I am sure we will have to make another trip down to the Safari.

Pine Mountain

2011-11-07T15:29:00.011-05:00

The weekend of Halloween we went on another camping trip. We headed down south to Pine Mountain, GA. It was a beautiful fall weekend and of course we had so much fun.

On Friday we went to Callaway Gardens and enjoyed the colorful flowers for picture taking. Doesn't Evan look thrilled?

We went to the Butterfly center.

Fed the fish
Played in the leaves!

I've had to resort to offering candy so they will pause for a picture. It works on Ellie!

Now to the gardens

A week before we went the kids were watching an episode of "Little Bear" and he was rolling in the grass. As soon as Evan & Ellie saw that big open space of grass they were rolling. So funny!
Looking at the dragon together

Charlotte just wanted to sit in the tree.
Later that night we went to the Roosevelt Stables for a pony ride. Ellie was in heaven and said "I'm holding on tight daddy"Too cute in her boots

Evan had to wait his turn & loved it too!
All he needed was his cowboy hat.
This was the only pony Charlotte would ride, but she loved it.

Yee Haw

Happy Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T22:42:00.007-04:00

This year we found a litter of dalmatian puppies in our front yard.

Evan

Ellie

Charlotte
We are thinking about keeping them, so we called the veterinarian. He checked them out.

And then he dewormed them with candy!

We found the mom and dad dalmatians, so we are one big happy familyWe went to granddaddy & grandmother's and got candy & green beans. We went to see Granny & Aunt Gail and got apples & money.
To finish the night we went to church for "Trunk or Treat"
& played our favorite duck gameHappy Halloween

Pumpkins, Pumpkins, Pumpkins

2011-10-23T23:09:00.010-04:00

Last week we took our annual trip to Burt's Pumpkin Farm. They were so excited to go to the "Punkin Patch".

This was the best I could get of them together, even with us jumping up & down and whistling.

Evan found 2 pumpkins he liked
Mommy & the girls
Daddy & Evan
Our family photo Last night we carved & colored our pumpkins. They told daddy they wanted a "Happy Pumpkin"

Good job Daddy!

Phoenix DeMore Smith 1997-2011

2011-10-15T17:12:00.009-04:00

Last Saturday we had to say goodbye to our first baby, Phoenix. She has been a loyal and loving family member for the last 14years. These stories are for later when we need to remember how much she meant to us.

This picture was the last picture we took of her. She developed a tumor on her back a little over a year ago. We had it removed but it came back and was very aggressive. She was too old to go through surgery again, so we just cherished the time we were able to spend with her.

Phoenix was a surprise gift that Jennifer got me for my senior year at PC. We had discussed getting a dog for the fraternity house and she saw little Pea Pie (that's what I usually called her) at the adoption day at PetsMart. She was just a little black fur ball and I loved her from the beginning. Here's a picture from our first day together.

We named her Phoenix. The name related to my Fraternity Alpha Sigma Phi. She loved the frat house. She was always the center of attention when we had visitors. She was not your typical frat dog. Jennifer was very strict on how we took care of her. NO unsupervised running around outside, NO riding in back of trucks and NO table scraps. This was understandable since she was the daughter of a veterinarian. The first thing she ever ate (other than dog food) was a pepper out of a Papa Johns pizza box. My friend did not know the rule, but he was quickly brought up to speed as I watched Phoenix question why she took the people food. She did learn good habits in the house. We taught her how to catch a Frisbee by tossing it back and forth just above her head. She finally got aggravated enough to jump and grab it out of the air. The baseball field was right behind the frat house. I would go out and throw the Frisbee as far as I could and she would take off like a rocket, fly through the air, catch it, and bring it back. She loved it but after about 5-6 throws she would get bored and not bring it back. This usually lead to me chasing her down, which she loved!
When she was not living with me at the house she was with Jennifer right up the road in Greenville. She was good protection, even as a tiny puppy. One night Jennifer took her out and she growled at a suspicious guy that was walking around the apartment complex. We knew from the start that Phoenix was fit for protecting. Phoenix did not just spend her days locked up in the house or the apartment. She made it to class one day! She saw a girl run by the house, jumped out the window, and followed her to campus. Phoenix wandered around for a while, but eventually got into one of the class rooms. We were lucky my friend Stephen Wedgewood was in that class and recognized her immediately. The professor let him take Phoenix back to the dorms and I picked her up after my class. The best part of the story is we all hid it from Jennifer. It was several years later when we were telling old college stories when it slipped out. It was too long ago for her to get mad.

Being our first child, Phoenix had to endure all the humiliation. This was just one of her many costumes. Can't you just see how much she loved the abuse. She would tear those antlers to pieces if we let her.
Phoenix loved the snow. She would run around and bite the snow right out of the air. The picture below was taken from Jennifer's apartment in Augusta. She stayed with Jennifer most of the time, mainly as protection. I was living in Myrtle Beach at the time. Jennifer called me one day from Augusta and she was freaking out. Phoenix had gotten off her leash and was swimming in the pond you see below. Not just your casual dip in the pond. She was chasing ducks. These duck were having a time with her. About the time she would get close, they would fly away and wait for her to catch up. Jennifer was scared that Phoenix would tire out and drowned or one of the huge alligator snapping turtles would eat her. This battle between dog and duck went on for almost an hour. Phoenix lost! She finally got tired and came back to her mom. Jennifer went out the next day and bought a better collar and leash.

This was not the only time Phoenix gave Jennifer a scare. One day we were headed to Habersham and we had Phoenix in her crate locked in the back of the truck. Michelle was with us and we looked back and Phoenix had gotten out of the crate. Remember the rule about no dogs in the back of the truck. Jennifer started screaming for me to pull over. Michelle and I still kid Jennifer about how she reacted. Every thing turned out fine.

Here's a picture of her with us just before we got married.
Phoenix did not get to walk down the aisle at our wedding, but she did get a picture with Jennifer in her dress. I have this picture on my desk at work.

Here's one of our many Christmas Cards that featured the family. You can see that she now has a little brother. We got Arizona in May 2001. Phoenix was the typical dominate older sibling. She showed him who was boss from day one. She controlled Zona mentally and physically. This did not end even with her old age. They had their final show down the night before she died. We know Zona misses her. He has been very sad this past week.

We use to have a boat that Phoenix thought was hers, she loved to ride and every time we stopped she would jump in. She could swim for hours. Zona would jump in after her, but as soon as his feet hit the water he wanted back on the boat. I think Phoenix would swim around laughing at him.
The rare shot of them sleeping together.
Phoenix was not very fond of little kids, but she did love Michelle. And Michelle loved her. They would play for hours.
This is one of my favorite pictures -accept the collar. Zona was wearing the South Carolina collar.Phoenix loved Christmas. I mean Christmas ornaments. Jennifer had made homemade gingerbread ornaments and put them on one of our many trees. We went out to eat one night and Phoenix strategically removed every gingerbread ornament and ate them. All we found was the little hangers in a pile on the floor. We still have not figured out how she did not knock down the whole tree. Maybe Zone gave her a boost - no he was in a crate right next to the tree. So he got to see the whole thing and I am sure she did not share with him. Where is a nanny-cam when you need one?We always made sure she got plenty of presents. And just like other children they did not hold her attention long. She could tear up a toy in seconds just to remove the squeaker. She could also devour a rawhide in minutes. This was our last family Christmas photo. Getting three kids and two dogs to look was almost impossible. Phoenix hated her picture made. Jennifer's Granny Turpin was the same way. So every time Phoenix would see a camera she would turn her head and we would call her Granny Turpin.
This picture was taken last year before Phoenix went for surgery to remove the first tumor. We were not sure if it was cancer so we wanted to get a shot with the kids. They did not get to see Phoenix very much. As I said, she was a little unsure of kids, so we were cautious. And now that she was sick she was happier being left alone. We would let her out while the kids were eating so she could get the scraps. Yes we were breaking the "no people food rule", but she was good at cleaning the floor. Zona needs to step up his game - too many pieces of rice left behind.

I hope the kids get to read this one day.

They will be able to see how much we loved our little girl.

We will miss you Pea Pie!

Pool Time

2011-10-07T18:09:00.006-04:00

Come on Mom and Dad we are ready for the pool!
Playing with some other kids

Of course Charlotte is sitting on her steps

Nice life vest

We tortured poor Charlotte and made her get in the pool and she was not happy at all
Evan's turn in the big pool

Now this little girl's turn
Jump Ellie

Splash!

Then she swam by herself in the pool as she said "peddle,peddle,peddle"

Taking a snack break.

We had a great week at the beach and can't wait to go back!

More Beach pictures

2011-10-04T22:27:00.009-04:00

Here are a few more pictures from our days on the beach

Enjoying lunch after fun on the beach
One night we decided to go to a Japanese restaurant. We didn't know how they would do, but they did great. They sat in their seats and watched and actually ate really good too.

Fun Outings

2011-09-28T22:29:00.005-04:00

A few of the days we went on fun adventures with the kids. On Monday we went to the Aquarium. We took them last year and they enjoyed it, but this time was a new adventure. We let them walk around this time to explore. They were so excited to see this fish tank and this was just a small one. They had a shark exhibit that they enjoyed.

Riding the moving sidewalk
Evan was so excited to see the sea turtle
Little Ellie watching the fish

Then we got to the play area in between exhibits and it was over for Charlotte. This is all she wanted to do.
Ellie was scared of the shark she saw so she was finished too.

I took Evan to see the rest of the exhibits and he loved every minute of it.
On another day we headed over to Alligator Adventures.

Evan LOVED this place too. Can you say all BOY?

Watch out Ellie

Here's Evan saying to the alligators "Look at me, I'm wearing an alligator!"The girls liked the alligator too

They had a show while we were there and at the end you could touch the alligator. Evan & Ellie were very excited. Charlotte just wanted me to hold her. After we got them in the stroller the lady was still there, so Charlotte wanted to pet him too. That alligator was getting triple loving!I'm sure we will have to go there every year

1st few days at the beach

2011-09-22T21:53:00.011-04:00

We loaded the kids up when they got up and gave them waffles to go. They did really well on the ride until they had to get back in the truck after lunch. I had to pull out all the prizes and treats! They have already started picking on each other in the truck, so I'm sure that will get worse in the years to come. They finally calmed down and did great the rest of the trip. When we got there I took them to the playground so Matthew could set-up the camper. Yes we went camping!!

After Matthew got most of everything set up we went down to the beach. Ellie especially was begging to go to the beach. We packed our dinner and off we went. It was a very windy afternoon, so no picnic just a little play time!

Ellie & Evan went running to the water
This was probably the closest Charlotte got to the ocean all week.

Saturday and Sunday were beach and pool days. We also had company, Matthew's Aunt Terri & Uncle Terry came down to spend the weekend with us. Ellie was in her element. She loved the beach. She would drag Terri to the ocean and play then look for seashells. Over and Over and Over.

Evan liked the ocean, but was also content to play in the sand.

Charlotte was happy as long as she was playing in the sand. Maybe she knows she is fair-skinned and should stay out of the sun.

After lunch and a quick nap for Ellie we hit the pool and lazy river. Well maybe just these 3 and Uncle Terry lagging behind. Not this one, she loves to sit on the stairs and play in the kiddie pool.

After dinner at Fuddruckers we had a birthday cookie for Uncle Terry.
A family picture on the beach
Sweet dreams
How Sweet!

We survived our 1st 2 days

Where have we been?

2011-09-18T23:00:00.004-04:00

MYRTLE BEACH!

More pictures to come

Going to see Elmo

2011-09-12T21:16:00.002-04:00

Thursday night we took the kids to the "Big City".
Ate at the CNN building

Then it was off to see "Sesame Street Live"

Waiting on the show!

Eating our popcorn

Don't they look alike

They had so much fun and did really good at the show and in the big city. They even straighten up when they saw a policeman.

In the words of Ellie "That was Fun!"

Puggles

2011-09-07T22:01:00.007-04:00

Tonight was their 1st night in Awana at church. They are in the Puggles class for the 2 & 3 year olds.

Look at how big they look sitting in line with their class.

Craft Time

Evan is the only boy with 6 little girls.

Anna Ruby Falls

2011-08-27T23:21:00.012-04:00

Picnic time at Anna Ruby Falls

If you live close around Habersham then you have probably been to Anna Ruby Falls in Helen. I think I have gone there almost every year. We always loved having picnics by the river then walking up the trail. I even remember when I was 4 or 5 hiking the almost 5 mile trail from the top of the falls all the way back down to the campground at Unicoi. I also remember I got stung on that hike. Well we didn't make the kids walk the 5 mile trail we opted for the paved 0.4 mile trail. It is still a steep hike especially if you have to carry toddlers. We didn't even think we would make it all the way to the top, but we did!

The beginning of the hike
Don't wear yourselves out, we still have a long walk

We stopped at most of the benches to give them a rest

Oh No. Evan wants to be carried. It's a good thing they are skinny, I don't think I would have gotten too far. Matthew had to carry Ellie because she saw a Millipede that scared her. We were so proud of Charlotte she walked the entire way!

We made it!

There was a man there that looked like Santa Claus, so we got him to take our picture.

On the way down Ellie enjoyed the ride and Evan walked down.

Charlotte on the other hand was tired from the trip up

I hope the kids will have lots of memories of Anna Ruby Falls like I do.

30 month check-up

2011-08-21T22:02:00.016-04:00

This past week the kids had their 30 month check ups. We usually do all three at once and that is a little stressful, so this time we decided to do each one on a different day.

Evan was up first. He was happy in the waiting room until his name was called. He didn't want to stand on the scale and then everything else was no fun either. He gave this mommy a hard time trying to hold down a bucking bronco. He did finally stand on the scale for Dr. Sims & a T-Rex sticker. Here are his stats for this appointment.

Ht - 37 inches - 75%

Wt- 25.4 lbs - 3%

Ellie's turnShe was the star patient. She did everything the nurse asked and then when Dr. Sims got finished with her exam Ellie asked her to do it again. She even got to listen to her own heartbeat. No tears until the shot came. Here are "Skinny Minnie's" stats:

Ht - 36 inches - 60%
Wt -23 lbs - 1%

Last but not least Miss Charlotte

She was so sweet and good. She had lots of fun in the waiting room with another little girl. She did everything the nurse & doctor asked of her. Once again no tears until the shot, but a Dora sticker made it better. Here are her stats:
Ht - 35 1/2 inches - 50%

Wt - 24.2 lbs - 5%

I think each one enjoyed a little one on one time with mommy even if it was going to the doctor.

2 1/2

2011-08-15T22:10:00.003-04:00

Today these little munchkins are 2 1/2 years old.
So Sweet!
Our 3 little miracles.

Potty Time

2011-08-11T16:37:00.025-04:00

2 weeks we took the plunge and started potty training. I say we, but it was really Jennifer. She started on a week when I was out of town on business. I got updates on all the struggles and successes all week long. Going into this we felt that Charlotte would be first to catch on, then Ellie and with the stigma of potty training boys - Evan last. Wow were we wrong.
1st day The first day they liked to sit on the potty, reading their books, and would sit when the lady bug timer went off. Ellie and Evan peed a few times. Charlotte would got through the motions but would not pee. She let them run around naked and that really cost us. Evan pooped on the floor. This scared him and set him back a couple days. Ellie is a true first born and has excelled with flying colors. She has no issues and is very proud of a #1 and a #2. She has even had days with no accidents. Evan finally started back after a couple days of no, no, no potty! He responded to being able to flush the potty. He now does #1 when he needs to. #2 is still an issue, but he has had some success with the assistance of prizes.

Charlotte showing to be the true baby in the bunch has yet to pee or poo in the potty. She sits, she says "my potty", she acts like she did it, she wants to flush an empty potty, she says she wants to go potty, she can hold her pee for over 3 hrs, she can pee pee dance for 30 mins, but she will NOT use the potty. Her favorite words are "No Potty". Ellie and Evan have even tried to walk her to the potty, sit her down, and cheer for her, but not results. Charlotte is even the best cheerleader for everyone - even mommy and daddy. We are giving her a little break and hopefully she will see all the fun Ellie & Evan are having.

Evan and Ellie have even went to church with panties on (yes we call them panties - even for Evan - not real sure how to avoid it - sorry.) It has truly been an adventure. We have heard others complain about the trials and tribulations of potty training one. No doubt it is tough, but triplets add a whole new level of excitement. We have gone out to eat and they did really good. Only 5 trips back and forth to the van because they scream pee pee mommy (that did not even include Charlotte). Yes we keep a potty in the van!

The best story so far is one night after Ellie ate a lot of watermelon. She was was still in her high chair and forgot to say potty but was screaming help, help, help. Not sure what she wanted, we then saw the puddle forming under her chair. She just smiled and said "Saw - wee".

It is very obvious that every child is different and we have had to take different approaches on each one.

Any suggestions on how to handle Charlotte?

Ellie Singing "hear ye, hear ye, I need to pee pee"
Evan and his Pirate Potty Book Aqua doodle - The only way Charlotte would sit on the potty for more than 2 seconds.
We are 17 days in and Ellie is 95% Evan is 90% and Charlotte is 0% trained

Stayed tuned for more potty talk!

TGIF

2011-08-05T10:01:00.001-04:00

Have a great Friday!

Camping in the Mountains

2011-08-01T21:37:00.012-04:00

For the past few years, Papa DeMore's side of the family gathers at Vogel State Park for a reunion. Last year the kids loved getting in the creek so we decided to make it a long weekend and camp. Our previous trips were just for two nights so we wanted to extend the trip to three nights. Here's a shot of Granny DeMore surrounded by family.

Evan being a typical boy hanging in the creek with his cousin Rayburn.
Just like the shrimp with the last camping trip we gave the kids another first food- Popcorn. They loved it. Evan really showed to be my son by putting a fist full in his mouth at one time. We brought along Jennifer's nieces - so all of Grandmother & Granddaddy's grand kids were together for the weekend. Here's the kids heading to the park to burn some energy. It was nice to have the extra sets of hands.
Charlotte loves to swing. She climbs on the other stuff but always ends up back at the swings. May be we played the song "Swinging" too much when she was a baby.

They loved the park. It was really hot!!! We tried to find shade but had no luck.

We found a nice cool creek to play in on our way back to the camper. Ellie and Evan walked right in. Charlotte was not as interested. She found a van that looks Jennifer's and could not figure out why she could not get in to watch TV. Here's Ellie throwing rocks over the little dam.Evan scares mom by making a balanced walk across the dam.

Evan is now showing off his ability to blow bubbles in water. So glad they learned something at their swimming lessons.

The small lake was very relaxing. Evan loved the water. He was cautious but did was not get scared. Ellie liked going from the sand to the water. It took her a little time to get use to water. They loved the little boats we got for them. Evan made his into a submarine.

Here we are out in the deep - about 3 1/2 feet!!! Ellie clinged but Evan was relaxed. Where's Charlotte?

She fell in love with the sand. At one point Victoria said she was going to dig to China. She really liked making shapes with the molds. She would run down to the water and wash her hands but that was about it. The trip did come at a price. LOTS OF BOO BOO'S. They tripped, stumbled, fell out of swings, jumped off tables, and even got tipped over in the choo choo wagon (sorry that ones on me).

Ellie's First

Charlotte's scratched up foot.

Evan's face as a result of a choo choo accident.
All in All - it was a great trip. Evan really was our shining star. He has had the biggest issues with camping but did not even once ask to go home or get in the car. He took it all in and seemed to really enjoy himself. The girls liked having their cousins hang out with them. They really follow their lead. In the camper, sleep is always an issue but we have chosen not to worry to much about naps and long nights of sleep. They can always catch up when we get home. Jennifer's only fear is they will stop being great sleepers at home.

Next trip - The BEACH!

Swimming Lessons

2011-07-25T22:10:00.007-04:00

The kids finished up their 1st swimming lessons last week. I took them to a local daycare for their lessons. Every morning they would say "swimming" and would run to the car ready to go.

Ellie was eager to get in.

It takes Charlotte a little bit longer to get use to things.

Evan loved having a guy to swim with and loved all the pool toys.

They learned to blow bubbles, kick and go under. On the last day Matthew & I went with them to swim and they showed us what they could do.

Happy National Ice Cream Day

2011-07-17T13:56:00.001-04:00

Thank you Ronald Reagan for appointing today National Ice Cream Day. We enjoyed some ice cream and it was yummy! Just see for yourself.

Go enjoy a cone today!

VBS 2011

2011-06-30T22:11:00.011-04:00

Last week was Vacation Bible School. Let's just say the kids had a blast! Every night we had dinner and there was always a bunch of girls just waiting for us to drive up. We had to feed them at home just so they would eat something because they were wild once they got there.

Sitting still for just a second!
The toddler class was one of the biggest. There were 12 two & three year olds. They danced, colored, ate and had loads of fun.

Matthew & I were in charge of the music class for the older kids so they got to hear the music for a few weeks before VBS. I think they taught everyone in their class the moves since they watched me for so long.

Here are their crafts & certificates for the week

They sure do love church!

Cookie Monster

2011-06-24T22:25:00.000-04:00

Who is the first to get caught stealing cookies?

CHARLOTTE - NO NO that can't be right. Not little Sweet Charlotte. That's right. She learned how to open the pantry door, open the top
on the cookie jar and stuff cookies into her mouth as fast as she could. The odd thing is she is not big on sweets. But she loves Animal Crackers. She gets this trait from me. Jennifer has caught me in the pantry with nothing but underwear on eating cookies. Just kidding - about the underwear part.

The Dad Life

2011-06-20T22:18:00.002-04:00

I had a great Father's day. Went to church and then out to eat with Jenn's dad and mom. I have thought about my dad over the past couple of days. I can't believe it has almost been 10 years since he passed away. A guy I work with showed me this Father's day video and I thought I would share.

Dad Life from Church on the Move on Vimeo.

Camping Trip #2

2011-06-15T21:59:00.000-04:00

Well let's try this again. Surely we won't have the same result - food poisoning and severe thunderstorms! After debating locations, we decided to go to Kings Mountain State Park. My aunt Terri and uncle Terry (yes both Terrys) live near there and they wanted to join us. It started off with an added adventure - the kids first taste of shell fish. I did a low country boil and they got to try shrimp and crab legs for the first time. I guess that is pushing our luck a little bit but we knew we were pretty close to medical attention. No reaction so it was all good. Evan did not like the shrimp but the girls did. They all ate crab legs and seemed to enjoy them.

Our neighbors ate a little later, so the kids got to munch on some of their food as well. Ellie ate and ate. Then we topped the night off with some cupcakes.

Now the pivotal point - night - night. They all got ready and then up to the loft they go. Evan was a little upset but within minutes the cries turned to playing. They don't get to sleep together normally so it turns into a pillow/bear fight. We listened in and they finally went to sleep. Jennifer and I went to bed as well. About 2:45 am we hear the cries of a little boy. He did not go back to sleep so I went to get him. I put him in the bed with us and he immediately was saying bear, bear, bear. He had a bear, but it was Charlotte's not his. Back to the loft and now Charlotte was up holding Evan's bear. Now we have two in the bed and they were not even trying to go to sleep. I had to move Ellie out of the way to get Charlotte and she did not move. After getting back in the bed it started to bother me that she did not move so being a worried dad I went and added her to the slumber party. This is what a triplet slumber party looks like in a camper.

They did not go back to sleep so we just watch movies and started the day a little earlier. I got some breakfast made - eggs, bacon, hash browns, and pancakes. They joined me outside and ate it up. Evan liked everything - even a little dirt on his pancake. Ellie loves bacon. Charlotte loves eggs - I think she had three all by herself.

Still up and full of energy, we headed to Terry's house to visit his neighbor's pool. They grabbed a quick nap on the way. They all got a little swim time in.

A little ride on the "boat".

Evan auditioned for a pool boy job.
The girls took an afternoon nap in the loft and Evan grabbed some z's in the truck. We then had friends (The Blanks Family) come by for dinner. Charlotte did not hesitate to claim little Brady (1 year old) as her boyfriend. What a cute couple!!!
Saturday night was a better night. We had some rain storms but they all went to sleep with little to no fussing. Would they make it all night? NO- Ellie wakes up at 6:20 asking for her bear. Ellie is a really good sleeper, but she loves her bear. It very rarely is out of her site. I got up, opened the loft, and scooped her up before waking the other two - they were out! She got in the bed with Jennifer and went back to sleep. At home they sleep from 9:15 pm to 9:15 am without a peep. Maybe one day they will embrace good sleep in the camper.

Now it is time to load up and go. Here's Charlotte getting ready for the ride home.
Ellie fell in love with Marley (Terri's dog). She wanted to spend most of the trip with her.

Evan was more than ready - already in the truck. It was for the best - one less little one running around.

Here's my Aunt and Uncle taking a quick picture before we pull out.

I'm putting the final touches on loading up.

I guess we are ready to try a 3 night camping trip.

Beat the Heat - New Pool

2011-06-09T15:57:00.008-04:00

It has taken a while but our new pool is ready for relaxing.

Just kidding - this is our new pool.

$59.00 Blow up 10'X30" Pool

1500 gallons of water

Seeing Evan splash mommy for the first time (which she hates with a passion) - PRICELESS!!!

Welcome to years of splashing around with the kids!!!

Memorial Day Weekend

2011-05-30T15:02:00.008-04:00

Remember that new paved road? On Saturday Evan had a little run in with the road and the road won. Look at this pitiful face.

On Sunday we took a drive to this beautiful place.This is Table Rock State Park in Pickens, SC. We are looking for a place to camp and wanted to check it out. We had a picnic lunch. Charlotte was pretending to be a bear.
Today was so hot we pulled out the pool. Thank you to all the men and women who has served this country so we could have this wonderful life with these 3.

Birthdays

2011-05-23T14:18:00.007-04:00

May 21st (Jennifer's Birthday) started off with a bang. We went to Clarkesville for the annual Mountain Laurel festival. We would not be good parents if we did not take them to the parade. Off we went. We got great seats and wondered if the trips would sit still or want to get out of the choo choo to wander. They did great. We kept them occupied with snacks and plenty of parade activity. Here's the family enjoying some breakfast waiting on the parade.

After the parade we headed to Canton, GA to go to a birthday party for Karis. She was having her 2nd b-day party at a Gymboree. Jennifer has been wanting to take them to Gymboree, so this was a great opportunity to let them explore and challenge themselves. They went wild. Little quit Charlotte was the loudest kid in the room for a while. Squealing at the top of her lungs in excitement. Here are some action shots of them playing games and climbing on the obstacles.

Ellie playing the jumping monkey game.Evan loved jumping on this trampoline. Showing off for the ladies!!!
Charlotte's favorite game was the monkey on the log. She did it over and over again. Here she is with the birthday girl in front of her.

Gotta love cake and juice box!

I think he is a little tuckered out, but still holding his balloon.

And now for the real birthday girl. The babies love to get in the bed and chill out at night. Here they are loving on mommy for her birthday.

Old Dirt Road - no longer

2011-05-19T21:38:00.009-04:00

We decided that it was time to pave our driveway. The kids love walking up to see the horses and soon enough they are going to want to ride bikes. Here are some pictures of them headed up to deliver some watermelon rinds to Beaver.

Evan takes charge of the wagon. Charlotte was usually last up the rocky road, now she is first one up!

Ellie loves to say "Ready, Set, GO" She is going to be a track star. Ellie is now the melon courier.

Charlotte pulls the wagon back. She's so smart - light load and down hill! One of many trips!

Horsing Around

2011-05-12T15:30:00.010-04:00

Do you remember these little riders. They could not even comprehend that they were sitting on a horse, but now they were jumping for joy to see Badger.

We waited as patiently as possible while Granddaddy went and got the saddle. Evan fell in love with these boots. They were Jennifer's when she was little. They were a little too big for him but there was no chance of getting them off.

Ellie was climbing the fence to get a closer look. She had no idea she was going to get to ride the horse.

Evan and Charlotte followed Ellie's lead.

By now, we were asking if they wanted to ride the horse and Charlotte would answer with a NO each time. Ellie was wavering. Evan was a big YES.
And Ellie is off!!! She trembled a little, clinched the saddle, and was in full concentration. She loved it.

Evan was more than ready. He was all smile's and Yee Haw's. His boot slide off and he demanded it back on. I think he wants to be a cowboy.

Charlotte was still a no. Jennifer got on to see if she would ride in her lap. Still a no! Now Badger has gone off to his summer home - a camp for kids. Hope he comes back this fall.

Mother's Day 2011

2011-05-08T23:51:00.010-04:00

Chocolate Chip Pancakes with homemade cinnamon whip cream. It must be mother's day. Yes! I did my best to make Jennifer's day feel special. She does a tremendous job taking care of the chaos we call 2 year old triplets. We all woke up with bright and happy faces, got a quick bite and off to church. After church we got a couple shots near some flowers in our yard.

Charlotte and Mommy
Ellie and Mommy
Evan was not so excited about pictures he wanted to play in the dirt.
My mom got remarried last weekend in Little Switzerland, NC. Here's a shot of her proud sons with Mr. and Mrs. Dennis Moon!

Jennifer and her mom smile for the camera.
Evan is now ready for his picture

We took a trip to Helen and left the choo choo and stroller behind. They did a good job walking through town and loved looking at the water. They saw the horse and buggies and wanted to go for a ride. Maybe next time!!!

Walk for Babies

2011-05-07T22:14:00.003-04:00

Today was the March for Babies walk in Habersham. We had a great time and the weather was wonderful. Granddaddy, Aunt Lisa & cousin Michelle joined us for the walk this year.About to head up the big hill - wow the kids are heavier than last year!This year for their 2nd birthday instead of gifts we asked for donations for the March of Dimes. We are happy to say we raised $585.00.If you would like to add to this amount go to www.marchforbabies.org/triplesmith

Our 3 miracles and other premature babies THANK YOU!

Let's play in the dirt

2011-05-01T22:13:00.005-04:00

Our flowers are in full force. We got some annuals to plant today. The kids decided they wanted to help.

Evan in his gardening outfit
Pretty in Pink
Watering for mommy
3 little helpers
You guessed it - she didn't get dirty!

Not these two - helping mommy

Do you think she ate any dirt?
YES

The Easter Bunny Stalker

2011-04-25T22:21:00.014-04:00

On Saturday we went to Unicoi State Park for their Easter egg hunt. The paper said there were going to be crafts and the Easter Bunny would be at the egg hunt. We got there early enough to do the crafts before the hunt. We painted milk jugs that could be used as a basket for the hunt. Ellie & Evan really got into it, Charlotte was upset she got paint on her hands. Then the Easter Bunny came in. Ellie was super excited Charlotte & Evan not so much
After they finished their crafts we tried again for a group shot with the Bunny.I think we have a stalker on our handsEllie would not leave her alone. While we waited for the egg hunt to start we had to get Ellie away from the Bunny so other kids could see her. Ellie was still looking for her. Finally it was time!
I think that was 1 of the 2 eggs Ellie found She was huntin' RabbitsLook at that faceWe didn't find too many eggs, but that's okay they enjoyed every minute of it. I'm sure the Easter Bunny was glad when we left.

Easter Sunday

2011-04-24T22:49:00.013-04:00

What a beautiful Easter Sunday to celebrate our Risen Saviour.

We were in the toddler nursery this morning at church and we had just our 3 to keep. They were not having a good day. We left before church was over to take them home.
While we finished cooking lunch they got to see what the Easter bunny left them. Evan loves his dinosaur puzzle

Candy!

Charlotte loves bracelets

Since their birthdays are in the wintertime the Easter bunny had tricycles to give them.

After a nap we tried again to get a family picture. This was as good as it was going to get today.
God is so Good!

Good Friday

2011-04-22T22:05:00.002-04:00

We hope everyone had a Good Friday and enjoy your Easter.

Hunt Results

2011-04-20T21:56:00.021-04:00

Does practice make perfect? For years I have said no. Practice makes permanent! If you practice some thing wrong it won't be perfect, but could become permanent. This theory would explain why our Easter egg hunting practice did not pay off. We failed to throw distractions into the mix. Well on game day some distractions were thrown in. Distractions came in the form of small beach balls. Once Ellie and Evan saw them, they could careless about picking up and egg. For the 2nd year in a row Charlotte found the prize egg. Now we have beach balls all over the house and no good candy. I guess we will have to change our strategy next year.

Here's some pictures of the Church Easter Egg hunt.

Here are some shots from a week or so ago in front of Granddaddy's blooming azaleas.

Are you ready for some Easter Egg Hunts?

2011-04-14T23:57:00.005-04:00

Our Easter egg hunt at church is this Saturday. We decided to have a trial run and see how they would do. I think they did pretty good. Too bad it is probably going to rain or be too wet for it to be outside.

Here they are checking out how many eggs they had found. Too cute!

Happy Egg Hunting!

Busy Saturday

2011-04-11T23:32:00.008-04:00

We had a busy Saturday full of birthdays. 1st we headed to Henderson Falls park in Toccoa for Avery's 1st birthday party. Avery is a friend from church.

Dad & Evan walking to the pavilion

Avery's theme was Minnie Mouse so we got another use out of their Halloween costumes.

Looking at the water

Playing before the food is ready

Whee!

Charlotte swinging with the birthday girl

Cool Dude

Cake time

Does this girl love sweets or what?

Bubble time

After a nap it was time to party again. This time it was for Granny DeMore. We took her dinner and enjoyed the nice weather.

Everyone wanted to help Granny push her walker.

Happy Birthday Granny!

What we have been up to

2011-04-08T22:12:00.008-04:00

Sorry for the lack of posts, but things are always busy here. Here are some pictures from the past few weeks so everyone can get their fix of the kids.

Ellie waving to the paparazzi

Our own Strawberry Shortcake

She LOVES strawberries

Evan loves little & big rocks

Cheese!

Evan has been having some trouble with sleeping. He wanted to stay up all night long. This is the first time he has slept in our bed.

Evan has joined the club - he has a tent now.

We had our visit with our cousins

We went on a picnic after church

Ellie loves her peanut butter sandwich

Tuckered out

and we've been playing outside

Have a good weekend

Camping Continues

2011-03-29T21:36:00.002-04:00

I would have loved to continued the story of how our first camping trip was just joy and pleasure but at 3:30am it took an odd turn. No the kids did not get up screaming in the night. Jennifer wakes me up and tells me that she does not feel very well. I get up with her and stand watch as she walks up to the bath house and before she gets back I realize that I am not feeling so well either. Oh NO! We both got food poisoning from Bojangles'. This ought to make for an interesting experience. We did not want to use the camper bathroom because it was right next to the kids room and we were afraid to wake them up. No sleep and constant turns running up the hill left us exhausted and not at all wanting to be camping. Should we pack up and leave? No we don't feel like doing that either. So we called Granddaddy to come over and at least feed the kids breakfast - while we formulate a plan. Plan formulated... Granddaddy & Grandmother load up the kids and take them to Lisa's house. This will give us some time to re-coop and the kids time outside the camper to play with their cousins. Kids gone, pop in a movie, watch none of it, and sleep. Reality came back about 4:30 and left us with a crowded camper because it is now raining. Yeah, Rain... As if this is not tough enough. We take turns keeping a half eye on the kids and watch the clock creep by till it is finally bedtime. Bedtime arrives... Sleep or screaming? Pretty much the same as the night before. Evan took about 20 minutes to fall asleep. Wow we made it! Not so fast... The storm of all storms hits and wakes Jennifer and I up. Our first thought was it must at least be 3 or 4 am. No... 11:45pm. This storm was a doosie. We sat there and wondered when we would hear the first peep from terrified kids. They slept through the whole thing. We woke up the next morning feeling better or at least well enough to pack up and head home. Now we have survived. This is what they looked like when we opened the door the first morning. I asked Evan if he had fun camping and it was a YES.

Charlotte still sleeping in her spot. I thought I put her on the other side? Mommy bought them some magnet alphabets to stick to baking pans. They had a blast. Quick breakfast before we hit the road.

Last shot just before we hit the road.

1st Camping Trip - Day and Night One

2011-03-27T18:59:00.012-04:00

The time has finally arrived!!! I circled this date on the calender back when we bought the camper. We decided to make our first trip to Hard Labor Creek State Park in Rutledge, GA. We picked this weekend and this site based on Jennifer's niece Victoria's birthday party at Chuck E Cheese. It was close to family so we had a outlet in case of disaster.

We spent weeks nesting the camper and getting filled with all the items needed. But all the prep work means nothing if the kids don't like it. We left home loaded at about 10am, made a pit stop at the outlets to get some shopping done, and arrived at the campground at 12:45. Jennifer and I set up the site while the kids played with rocks. They loved the rocks. They put them on the table, in chairs, and of course on each other. Here's the a shot of them enjoying lunch. We left to go to Chuck E Cheese for the birthday party. This was an adventure all in it's self. They had fun and all loved Chuck E. This was the first of many Chuck E visits. The party ended and the kids did not want to leave. We grabbed some Bojangles' and headed back to the campsite. Quick dinner and then we walked up to the playground. It was covered in pollen so we would at least find out if any kids had pollen allergies. Nope! They just played, had fun and got covered in yellow pollen. We did our best to get them warn out before bed time. We have been blessed with beautiful sleepers! No really, they sleep really really good. But it is usually in their crib. Pack-n-plays have presented challenges, but they get use to them and adjust rather quickly. How would they handle all sleeping in a loft, all together, and in a strange place? This would be the deciding point to this weekend and our camping future. They all cried at first but the girls stopped and were out. Evan took his time going to sleep but he was finally out. They did not make a peep all night. Can we call this a success? Check back and see Day and Night Two!

Developing Personalities

2011-03-15T21:43:00.003-04:00

As you know each of the little ones look different, well they all act completely different as well. Evan has fallen in love with drawing. He carries his Elmo magna doodle around with him all the time. He loves to get in a lap and take turns making shapes, animals, trucks, and cars. His favorite shape is a circle. He draws them over and over, big and small.
Charlotte has turned into our little fashion queen. She loves to dress up and you will very rarely find her with out a bracelet on. She has to get first choice on the clothes for the day. If she does not get to pick first, Jennifer will most likely have to take Ellie's off and switch or dive back into the closet for a new outfit. Shoes and bows are a must in her wardrobe. The first thing she wants once she gets out of the bath is a bow - and she must pick it!!!

Ellie is our chatter box. She puts new words together every day. She loves to say pleeeez (Please), tank uew (Thank You), quackers (Crackers)and a lot of other things we have not figured out yet. She is just like her momma. Every time I burp she says scuewz uew (excuse you). It is so cute I have to burp just to hear it. I excused her burp tonight and she giggled. She is definitely the ring leader in the bunch.

Let's Go Camping

2011-03-04T22:33:00.001-05:00

Jennifer and I both grew up going camping with our families and have wonderful memories of life with a traveling home. We decided to pass these experiences down to the triplets. I have been researching different sizes, brands and towing constraints for several months. We had a couple needs and several wants when picking our vacation on wheels. Late January we hired a baby sitter and went to the camper show in Atlanta. This would give me the chance to show Jennifer exactly what I had been researching. I knew we would either leave with a new camper or at least narrow the field down to a couple brands. We searched and fell in love with several campers that were too big and had found several we would consider. Then we walked into the Zinger. Jennifer loved it from the moment she walked in. She shops with her eyes and the interior was different from the others we had seen -so it was moved to the top of the keeper list. I'm just glad she did not shop for husbands that same way because she would have passed me by. Pressed for time, we met with the owner and set up a closing date. I got to go pick it up a couple days after the triplets birthday. I wonder what they would think of their new camper?

They loved it. It has bunk beds in the back that will accommodate all 3 of ours for a long time. Charlotte picked out her bed first.

Evan and Ellie peaking out the window on the top bunk.
They just realized they had a sky light.

Jenn and the kids checking out the dinning table.
We are still getting it loaded with essentials and then a practice run in the front yard. Wish us Luck!

A picture is worth a thousand words

2011-02-24T06:27:00.007-05:00

This picture says it allIt's time for pictures again.

Now that's better!

Jessica came to our house for the photo shoot. The girls were hamming it up for the camera.
Evan not too much. He didn't even want to come down the stairs.
Sweet Charlotte

Little Miss Ellie

Evan still not in the mood

They rarely get to come into our bedroom, so they were in heaven jumping on the bed.

Even Evan
Finally a smile

Yeah! We made it thru another photo shoot!

E,I,E,I,O

2011-02-21T09:52:00.001-05:00

This year the birthday party extravaganza theme was barnyard. If you missed last years Cookie and Elmo party here's a link. Jennifer has been planning this for months, OK at least a year. She only gets one per year even though we have three kids so I can't blame her for wanting to go all out. Plus the kids are worth it.

We will start with the food first. We prepared all the food and she even came up with snappy names to go along with the theme. The food was even things the kids love to eat. Here's a shot of the buffet table. Here's the cake. Jennifer did the baking and I did the decorating.

I will just list the rest of the items you will see pictured in the next couple of shots.

Chicken feed = Chex's Mix

The Garden = Veggie tray, Little Piggies = Pigs in a Blanket

Chicken 'n Biscuits = Chick-fil-A Chick-n-Minis

Cow Patties, Haystacks & Barn Cookies
Waterin Hole

Eating all our yummy foodBring on the cupcakes

Charlotte with the little pig cupcakeEvan got the cow
Ellie and the little chick

The adult table
Craft time
Time for presents
Playtime

Family picture

Instead of presents we asked for help for their March of Dimes team. We were hoping for a $300 goal and we have raised $480. If you would like to join in to help to raise money for premature births go to their team website at http://www.marchforbabies.org/triplesmith

We had such a good time and appreciate everyone enjoying the day with us. What will next year's theme be????

Update

2011-02-18T07:55:00.000-05:00

On Valentine's Day we went to Monkey Joe's so they could jump off some energy. Boy did they have fun. I think Ellie went down the big slide 100 times by herself. Evan & Charlotte just wanted to run from inflatable to inflatable. We definitely will be going back.

On their birthday Jennifer took them to Babyland General. They didn't really get into it. Maybe in another year or 2.

Evan liked the stuffed raccoon

For lunch she took them to Burger King

Today the triplets went to the doctor for their 2 year check-up. Here are their measurements so we won't forget.

Ellie - Height 34 1/2" (75%), Weight 21 lbs 8oz (2%)

Evan - Height 35" (65%), Weight 23 lbs 15oz(10%)

Charlotte - Height 34 1/4" (75%), Weight 21 lbs 14oz (3%)

2 years old

2011-02-15T14:54:00.019-05:00

Ellie, Evan & Charlotte,

Today you are 2 years old. I can't believe it. Just 2 years ago you three were fighting for your life and now you are FULL of life. I love being able to stay at home with you and see each one of you grow into your own little person. There is never a dull moment at the Smith house!

Ellie,

You are a fire ball! You act & do things just like me and that might be a bad thing once you are a teenager and we butt heads. You love your sleep and have to have your little pink bear. You suck your thumb when you are sleepy. You love to brush your teeth. Your favorite things to eat are crackers with veggie cream cheese, p-nut butter sandwiches, watermelon and anything sweet. You also love ranch dressing & ketchup to dip things in. You love to say yum-yum, what's that and thank you. You love watching Wonder Pets & Sesame Street. You love to pick up as many toys as your little arms can hold, I hope this isn't a sign of a hoarder. You love to skip & are fearless.

Evan,
You are such a momma's boy. You get really upset when I have to leave you, so I have to sneak away. You are all boy - you love balls, choo-choo's and going outside, but you do love your bear blanket. You climb on everything and can open doors and escape. You love to jump and draw on your Elmo magnadoodle. You are left handed. You love green beans, any kind of peas, cucumbers, salad & watermelon. You love to say uh-oh, hey, bath & No. You love Grover and Ernie from Sesame Street & watching Dora & Diego. You love to give your sisters hugs and are a great brother.
Charlotte,
You are so sweet. You love to give kisses and are mommy's little helper. You love to get in people's lap and like to snuggle the most. You are usually the last asleep and the first one up and just jibber jabber in your crib. You have just started to be attached to your bear blanket. You are sometime the quiet, shy one but when you are hyper you are wild! You love carrots & cheese, but not a big fan of sweets expect watermelon & fruits. You love saying bye, momma & daddy & thank you. You are really particular about certain things like shoes and the color of your sippy cup. You love Mickey Mouse Clubhouse & Blue's Clues. You love books and love to get in my lap to read.
The only thing I ask of each of you is to stop growing up so fast. Happy Birthday!
Love, Mommy

Happy Birthday Daddy

2011-02-14T09:19:00.004-05:00

We want to say Happy Birthday to our Daddy!

Love - Ellie, Evan, Charlotte & Mommy

Birthday Party Today

2011-02-12T10:00:00.000-05:00

Today is the day of the 2nd Birthday Party Extravaganza.

How do we feel?

We will give more details later. Enjoy this picture I think it says it all. Better be quick - Jenn will probably make me take it off.

Snow

2011-02-10T10:43:00.002-05:00

Jennifer sent me these pictures of the kids in the little bit of snow that we got last night. She said the girls were all excited to go outside and play.

Evan not so much. He watched from inside for a little while.

Follow the Leader

The snow was so soft and powdery they all loved putting it on their fingers and maybe tasting it too.

At least this year the snow will not mess up their birthday party plans

Sweet As Cookies

2011-02-08T21:24:00.006-05:00

I can't believe another year has flown by so quick. It is time for the triplets 2nd birthday. Of course they are calling for snow again this week. Jennifer has been busy making & decorating cookies, getting favors done and all kinds of crafts. We still have lots to do but here's Jennifer slaving away on decorating barn cookies.

Just so you can see how sweet they are here is a quick video.

Nice warm day!

2011-01-30T22:36:00.003-05:00

Just too nice to stay inside so we headed out. We passed by a couple parks that were crowded and went straight to Granny's house. Quick stop by Sonic for some big gulps and then off to play. Granny house is off the road and has plenty of room to run. They got a kick out of going down to see the old barn. Ellie took off down the pasture as if she were going to find a lake to jump in. Evan collected some rocks to give to Granddaddy. Charlotte did not want to get her boots dirty so she stuck to the pavement. Look at em' run.

A big drink all for Evan - just kidding we all shared. I don't think they make a diaper that will hold 44oz.

Can't wait till it gets warm and stays warm. This sure beats the snow!!!

Hair Cut

2011-01-26T13:48:00.008-05:00

It's finally Charlotte's turn. Charlotte has beautiful red curls, but they needed a little trimming. She sat so quiet & still and let Deane trim her hair.

Charlotte Before

Charlotte After

Such a pretty girl!

Name That Tune

2011-01-18T22:42:00.004-05:00

Partridge Family, Osmond Family, Jackson 5, The Pointer Sisters, Hanson, Jonas Brothers - all paved the way for up and coming musical families. Will Triple Smith be added to the list? You be the judge.

Will they be on American Idol one day? We don't know where they get their talents. Jennifer took piano for 12 years and didn't like one minute of it. In Children's church a few weeks ago I was told to quit singing by an 11 year old. She said I was messing her up.

Blizzard 2011!!!

2011-01-11T21:57:00.007-05:00

I remember as a kid loving a snow day! We did not get them very often, but the way things work in the south - it would not take much to cancel school. This storm brought a little more than enough to cancel school for a day - how about a week! I was suppose to fly out of town for a business trip but it was postponed and then cancelled. Here's a shot of our house after the 8" or so of snow accumulation.

The kids were all excited checking out all the white stuff.

Phoenix and Zona out to play!!!

A little ride in the Choo Choo to see the horses and feed them some snacks.

Just in case you were wondering, they are wearing "101 Dalmatian" outfits as an additional layer. They are not fully equipped with winter gear - maybe next year (of course that means it won't snow next year).

Time to Play!!! Charlotte as usual did not want to walk on the snow. The crunch from the layer of ice must have scared her - so she rode on the sled. Brought back memories of her not wanting to walk on sand!!!

Evan refused to wear his gloves. What happens? He wants to touch it, gets his hands wet and cold, and then decides he is done with the snow.

He was much happier standing halfway in the garage.
Ellie is a just plan fearless. She practically beat the door down trying to get out of the house. She was mildly disappointed because the snow was not fluffy like before. She played hard until she got cold.
Please do not forward this photo to PETA. It is all faux fur! But she is stylish. I can see it in department stores now "Fur on Fur" the new fad.
As you all know the best part of going out and playing in the snow is that warm bath at the end of the day. We treated them to the big bath in our room and they loved it!

Washed up and now watching one of their movies they got for Christmas. Nice ending to a great day.

Christmas - Part 3

2011-01-02T12:12:00.003-05:00

This was the first year that Jennifer's Granny did not have the all kids, grand kids, and great grands over to her house. It had gotten to difficult to get everyone together so she decided she would make rounds and see each family separate. We hosted since it is just easier to watch our kids destroy our own house instead of someone else's. Here are some shots of the gathering.

Trips hanging out with Great Granny waiting on more presents.

Michelle helped Charlotte open her present.

Great Aunt Gail helped Evan with his.

Great Granny and Ellie tearing off some paper.
This concludes our Christmas 2010. We even stayed up till 1 am that night, taking down the tree.

Happy New Year from the Triple Smiths

2011-01-01T00:01:00.000-05:00

Christmas - Part 2

2010-12-29T21:56:00.007-05:00

The White Christmas started to accumulate overnight and left us with about 2" of light coverage. So lets go play in the snow! Little different from last winters snow. Instead of layering them and plopping them down for a picture, they are on the move. And they are a little more picky on what they wear.

Ellie says "come on already"!!!!

Evan stomps his way through the snow.

Ellie runs down to check out the dogs.

Charlotte smiles and laughs as the wind knocks down her hood.

All on the run.

Later that afternoon, my mom, brother and his kids came over for Feliz Navidad. Mom and I worked together to make an authentic Mexican dinner. Just kidding, but it was good.
Charlotte and Darla digging into some presents.
Evan and Huck break loose a Christmas Moose.

Joni shows Ellie how to put the frog into action.

Finally, a Elmo Remote Control. Now the kids will leave mine alone.

Charlotte and Granny Smith get a quick picture.

Ellie shows off her "My Grandma Rides a Harley" shirt.

Evan says his thanks for the gifts with a quick hug!

Christmas - Part 1

2010-12-27T20:00:00.008-05:00

After we had confirmed that Santa had arrived, we headed up to get the kids ready.A week or so ago I taught them how to "sit and scoot" down the stairs. So off they went to see what was under the tree.

It does not get more excited than this face!!!

Evan moves from the talking kitchen to a Car slide.

Ellie tries out the new set of Wheels!!!

Stop for some breakfast. Rejuice the batteries for some more gifts and play time.

Time to see what's in the stockings.

Mother nature had a surprise for us. A white Christmas! The kids ran to the glass to see the snowflakes.
The kids went off to take a nap so we let the dogs get their gifts from Santa. Phoenix heads straight to destroy the squeaky toy.
Zona poses for his picture, just before he eats his new bone.

Up from the nap and back to the presents.

Grandmother and Granddaddy come over to add to the collection of toys.

Stay tuned for Part 2

Christmas Eve - 2010

2010-12-24T21:36:00.000-05:00

This year started off with what might become a new tradition. Going Caroling - no. A trip to Krispy Kreme to get donuts - YES. Nothing starts the day off better than a nice hot donut. Just ask these three happy faces.

And guess who was there? Santa - or at least one of his helpers. Charlotte could not take her eyes off him, Ellie loved to look but would avoid eye contact, and Evan would smile but not speak.
The next stop on the trip was to Jennifer's sisters. We got our first taste of what Christmas morning might be like. It was chaos! Ellie decided not to take a nap in the van ride there so she was extra fussy. Evan and Charlotte could not decided what they wanted to play with. Here they are getting into some presents.

Ellie was sooooo tired. She then gave me an early Christmas present - a nap in my arms. I was fake sleeping for the picture. This might not seem like a big deal but our kids are great sleepers and hardly ever require holding for naps. Ellie happens to be the best sleeper. The last time I had to (got the pleasure to) hold Ellie while she slept was in the NICU. Wow she has really grown since then.
364 nights a year I am a gym shorts and t-shirt for PJ's kind a guy. One night a year I will make the sacrifice and join the family. This year I think Jennifer may have taken it a little too far.

That's a whole lotta Cookie Monster. Oh the things we do for our kids.

Date Night

2010-12-23T21:15:00.005-05:00

Put a quarter in the way-back-machine and a typical date night for Jennifer and I would include: Dinner, Wal-Mart, Lowes (or Home Depot) and most likely a stop at the grocery store. Believe it or not but those spectacular nights have become a distant memory. We have been able to score a sneak out with the much appreciated assistance of family stopping by, but that usually meant we got dinner (fast food) and one stop to pick up milk. The time has come to stretch our wings - lets get a sitter!!! A couple girls from church were willing to take on the task. One got sick and could not make it so the other one's mom came and helped for a little bit. We were gone for about 5 hours!!! It was wonderful to get out and spend some time together, have adult conversations, and enjoy a meal that was not filled with sit downs, don't lick that, and please eat something. About 3 hours into the date, I asked Jennifer if she wanted to call in and check. Before she could answer we got this picture sent to my phone (sorry it's so small). There they were all happy eating dinner.

We finished our night and returned home to happy kids and what looked like happy sitters. Carli and her mom Janine sitting with Ellie (the other two had already sprinted to the door to get mommy).

They even have time to do some arts-n-crafts.

So what did we do on our date? Dinner, Wal-mart, Home Depot, Grocery Store, and we even threw in a Target. What a wonderful night. I guess we will have to see if Carli is willing to baby sit again.

Santa 2010

2010-12-16T22:10:00.005-05:00

We started talking about Santa Claus a few weeks before Thanksgiving just to get the kids prepared for the big day. They picked up on his image pretty quick, so we thought we were set for a peaceful Santa sitting.
Trip#1 - We decided to go to Bass Pro Shop to see Santa. It was the first day he was there so we thought it would be an easy trip and not to crowded. We were wrong. They did not allow us to see Santa because it was already too busy, so they turned us away. We did get a peak at Santa and he was worth a second trip.
Trip#2 - Jennifer came down to meet me during the week and we were in luck. There was only a couple people there so we could get plenty of time with Santa. Ellie was first. She typically will go to anyone and had been sleeping with a picture of Santa from last year, so she would take to Santa for sure - wrong. I failed the event by dropping her off too quick. She of course started to cry and did not want to see Santa.

Evan was next. He actually walked up to Santa and had no issue sitting with him. He did not get real excited, but he did not freak out.

Charlotte was our biggest concern from the beginning. She did not walk up to Santa but did sit in his lap. She like Evan was expressionless. She did not take her eyes off me the entire time.

Jennifer jumped into a shot, just to see if Ellie would calm down. It did not work.

Trip#3 - Ellie gets home and she is still obsessed with Santa. We have to give her another chance to see him. We also like some of the decorations at Bass Pro Shop so Jennifer wanted to get more pictures away from Santa. She did much better. Santa and his Elves remembered us so they were really nice. She sat with him for several minutes and gave us a big smile for the picture.

They can now pick him out of a crowd. Every now and then you can even get a Ho, Ho, Ho...

It's Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas

2010-12-13T10:49:00.009-05:00

Yesterday was a fun filled day that made it really feel like Christmas time. We started the day with all the kids at church celebrating Jesus' birthday. I had a blast playing games, reading the Christmas story, and of course eating cake. My little ones were able to join in for some of the fun. They got there just in time to get all sugared up and then sing and dance. The whole room was filled with Joy.

We then got some snow (heavy flurries), which is odd for this time of year. We did not get out in it because the wind was too strong. The kids enjoyed looking at the flurries through the window.

Last night was the first performance of this years children's Christmas play. Part of the show was a live Nativity and the trips got to play parts. Ellie and Charlotte were Angels.

Evan was a Shepherd. He spent most his time looking for sheep (toys off the toy store set). Jennifer was an Angel as well - someone had to keep the little one's in line. Who knew that little Angels loved gold fish crackers?

They did a great job and we rewarded them with a trip to see Christmas lights at our local park.

Not much but the kids got a kick out of them. We made two trips through the park.

Maggie Valley

2010-12-05T23:10:00.007-05:00

The Smith Family takes the first weekend in Dec each year to gather and fellowship. The last couple years have been cancelled due to weddings and football games, but this year the trip was back on. We typically head to Gatlinburg or to Pigeon Forge, but this year we stayed in Maggie Valley. We did as usual and took over the place. Almost 60 family members all descendants of (or at least claimed by) Coy and Agnes Smith.

Evan & Aunt Vivian

Ellie & Louis

The weather was not on our side with this trip. Some Christmas presents from Aunt and Uncle Terry and Stuart were just what the kids needed to pass the time.

Our cabin was filled with South Carolina Gamecock fans, so we settled in to watch the SEC Championship game. The result was not what we were looking for. Charlotte was expressing her disappointment as she watched the game.

The fellowship area was a little crowded and the timing was not quite right, so the kids enjoyed meals at the cabin. Ellie wears her noodles well.

We got a dusting of snow the next morning and although it was cold they got to run around outside. They headed up the hill to see what everyone was doing. Aunt Donna was out walking her dog.

We had a great time and can't wait to do it again.

O Christmas Tree

2010-11-30T21:43:00.004-05:00

I love to have the house decorated for Christmas. Jennifer is very good at it and this year she has started the process of passing down the skill to the kids. We have a real big tree in our living room. It took her a couple days (off and on) to decorated it. The kids watched from upstairs or from their play yard and seemed to enjoy seeing the different decorations. Jennifer even put up a small tree in their room. They helped put it together and decorate it. They used beanie babies as ornaments. They enjoyed putting them on and taking them off. Here's some pictures of them getting ready for Christmas.

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T19:28:00.006-05:00

Turkey... Turkey... Turkey... Happy Thanksgiving from the Triple-Smith's!

We have had a great day today. We got up and watched the parade. They loved seeing the cartoon characters and the balloons. The girls even danced to some of the music. Jennifer and I let them run about while we cooked for lunch. Cousin Victoria kept them occupied and out of trouble.

Here's the kids eating lunch. A little different from last years jar food. They each had a favorite.

Evan loved the turkey.

Charlotte loved the mac-n-cheese.

Ellie loved the dressing.

They even loved it the second time around for leftovers.

Evan took some time out of eating to watch some football and play ball with me.

Last night they helped mom get the pecan pie ready. They wanted to help me fry a turkey but maybe next year (just kidding).

Me and the bird of the hourThis year the kids put away their head dresses and made some turkeys for their mom. It's never too early to start covering the fridge with kiddy art.
We hope you had a Blessed and Happy Thanksgiving Day!!!

Big Girl

2010-11-12T17:53:00.003-05:00

Several months ago we promised Ellie we would put her in a big girls seat on our Oct. beach trip. And yes, the promise came true. She was happy and so was I. I have been patiently waiting for this day. Here she is showing off her new seat.

Fall

2010-11-04T10:45:00.008-04:00

Remember the dresses Jennifer made? Here are the dresses in action. Jennifer took them to a local park to play in the leaves and get some photos - of course. For all those concerned about Evan being left out, Jennifer made him a shirt with a built in tie that matches the girls. Here's the bunch playing in the leaves.

He was proud to show off his new shirt!

Almost forgot the pumpkins and Zona!!!

2010-11-01T21:43:00.008-04:00

We can't forget the annual tradition of carving pumpkins. No names this year we went for faces.

Ellie and her surprise face.

Charlotte and her toothy grin. Evan with his tongue out.
The happy Pumpkin family!

Zona got into the fun this year and put on his Mickey outfit to get a shot with the girls.

Happy Halloween 2010

2010-10-31T22:24:00.010-04:00

Jennifer's wish this time last year was that we all dress up as a theme. We thought we had a great idea. We had purchased some dalmatian costumes from another triplet family last spring. They were 18-24 month size so it should work out to be the right fit. Jennifer could dress up as Cruella DeVil and I could be a dog catcher. As we have learned planning in advance is not so easy with triplets. Jennifer put the costume on Charlotte about a month ago and it was a little too big but not so big we could not use them. About two weeks ago we put them on all three. Charlotte loved hers. Ellie was not as happy but was not tearing it off. Evan threw a huge fit. He wanted nothing to do with the costume. It's not that he as anything against dogs - he loves them. He is just going through a phase. He wants nothing to do with long pants, long sleeves, socks, or anything on his head. This led us to have to change our approach. While we were on vacation Jennifer was able to slip away to the outlets and they had a Disney Store. She found the cutest Minnie Mouse costumes for the girls but nothing that fit Evan's defiant attitude. Then she saw some Woody PJ's. They were long legged and long sleeved but he would eventually get use to it - as he does with his other clothes. It was not the end result we were looking for but I think they turned out great.

Here's Ellie.

Here's Charlotte

Here's one of Evan.

The kids had a blast at Hazelween this year. They were all over the place. Jennifer and her Dad joined me in a 1 hour scramble to keep up with them. One game they got to play was the "Duck Pond". Simple concept. Walk over, pick up a duck, see the number, get your tickets, and go to the next game. Simple concept - wrong. The trips wanted to swim with the ducks. Evan had one foot in the water before we could even realize what was going on. They completely took over the game. I ended up taking the pool outside and dumping the water. They could still play the game and eventually moved on to other games. At the end of the event, they got to do "Trunk or Treat". They cruised by the cars in their wagons collecting bucket full of candy and apples.

Maybe next year you will see 3 dalmatians

Pumpkin Patch 2nd Anniversary

2010-10-30T22:20:00.001-04:00

Do you remember the post last year? (Click on "post" to see last years trip to Burt's Farm - hit the back button to get back to this post)

We thought of going to another patch that was closer but it was closed on the day we had planned the trip. So back to Burt's Farm. It was a lot different this year. The added element of mobile children was very interesting. Instead of pulling them around in a small red wagon we let them run free. Evan was first to explore. He was off to find the biggest pumpkin - at least the one with the biggest pooled water sitting on top of it. It had just rained and rained a little while we were there so the big ones would have water sitting where the stem was removed. They all got the hang of splashing it out and would move from one pumpkin to the next.

Our little pumpkins playing with great big pumpkins.

Evan finds him a couple keepers. The one standing up is a little rotten but I guess we'll take her home anyway.

It's a good thing we picked a weekday and a rainy one as well. Very little crowds made it easier to let them explore on their own.

Charlotte (Miss Priss) ventured off on her own and found a nice big mud puddle to jump in. It was a surprise because 2 minutes earlier she was flipping out over a couple of pieces of hay that had gotten into her wagon. She held her feet up because she did not want to touch it. I guess not to prissy for a little mud jumping.

Evan tried his best to move the giant squash. But no luck.

Ellie got a kick out of riding one. Her legs were clinched into the sides of that pumpkin like she was riding a horse. Make sure to check out last years shot of her on a pumpkin - it is the same excited face.

Pick a pack of pumpkins!

A few more shot to capture the moment!

Now Jennifer is just showing off her new editing techniques!!!

Look at all those pumpkins!!!

We were able to stop someone to take our family shot. Evan did nothing but frown at the stranger.
Where's Waldo?